Stadium Arcadium

Stadium Arcadium

In 2006 Red Hot Chili Peppers released their ninth studio album, Stadium Arcadium. The album was a double album with 14 tracks on each one.

The Chili Peppers had come a long way since their first self titled album in 1984. In 1985 they made one of the fnukiest albums the world has ever seen with Freaky Styley. The sound then gradually changed from the funk until they in 1995 released One Hot Minute. It was an album that was virtually funk free. On Stadium Arcadium they seem to have found the balance that fits Red Hot Chili Peppers just perfect.

On this album the band consisted of Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante, Michael "Flea" Balzary and Chad Smith. This lineup is by most fans considered to be the strongest in RHCP history. While Kiedis and Flea has been in the band since the start, Frusciante and Smith has been in and out a few times.

The recording of Stadium Arcadium took place in Harry Houdinis old home, called "the Mansion": The Chili Peppers had previously recorded their breaktrough album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik there, and was looking for a repeat of that succes. There are many stories about what really happened in "The Mansion" during the recording process. John Frusicante has stated that he felt "there were beings of higher intelligence controlling what I was doing,
and I didn’t know how to talk about it or explain it...it was very
clear to me that the music was coming from somewhere other than me."

Originally Stadium Arcadium was planned to be a three disc series. They had 38 tracks that they planned to spread out on the three discs. However, they realized that before they had finished the series, they would be writing new music. So the outcome was a two disc album.

The critics where generally positive to the album. Rolling stone magazine wrote "the band's ninth studio album is the most
ambitious work of its twenty-three-year career -- an attempt to
consolidate everything that is Chili Peppers, from their earlier,
funnier funk-metal stuff to soul-baring "Under the Bridge"-style
balladry to Californicating vocal-harmony pop. And unlike the Foo
Fighters' similarly expansive but bloated double disc In Your Honor, and almost every other double album of the post-vinyl era, the band pulls it off."

Notable tracks from the album is of course the two biggest hits, "Dani California" and "Snow((Hey Oh))". These two singles gave the album the initial world wide attention. "Charlie" is somewhat going in the same direction as "Give It Away", but suddenly explodes into some pretty hefty guitar solos by John Frusciante. "Tell Me Baby" is probably one of the most catchy tracks from the album. On "Hump de Bump", Anthony Kiedis really shines with his Jimi Hendrix impression.

The album was an instant succes world wide. The initial success was mainly due to the two singles mentioned above, but the fact is that Stadium Arcadium is a really strong album. In my opinion one of the strongest the Chili Peppers have delivered.